


Why Glen Mazzara's Damien Still Matters: Why Horror Needs to be Smart (and go there)

by twiniitowers



Category: Damien (TV), The Omen (Movies)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 07:27:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6973066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twiniitowers/pseuds/twiniitowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A&E never gave this show a chance to succeed. No other network (as of this writing) wanted it. Glen is working on something new and so are the actors. But this was an important series for a relatively small fandom.<br/>Also part open letter to the next writer who takes the baton. </p><p>All opinions in this article are mine and not necessarily shared by anyone else.<br/>Might contain spoilers of the films/series.</p><p>We, me and some others in the fandom, are working on a #MoreDamien project, pm me or email me at my author name at yahoo for details</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why Glen Mazzara's Damien Still Matters: Why Horror Needs to be Smart (and go there)

There was a fan movement recently to save Damien complete with its hashtag to try and write the wrongs of A&E's misinformed decision to cancel the show after one season. However, the news broke for executive producer, writer, and showrunner Glen Mazzara that there would be no home for  _Damien._

Despite our massive efforts in contacting HBO, Starz, amazon video, netflix, SyFy, Hulu, CW, FX, and the like no other network or streaming service wanted to take the bold risk to give this show a much deserved second season. 

The question to ask is NOT why when utter crap litters our screens. We know why. Executives in suits who don't know about programming or what the fans really want. The question to ask is why won't networks take bold moves. Yes, it's a money and numbers game, sure. But horror needs to be smart and yes, go there. 

First, let's take a look at the 1973 film,  _The Exorcist._ Does it stand the test of time today? Yes. It sure does. But, the crowds of people that were screaming, carrying-on, and throwing up in the aisles on their way out of the theaters seem about as relevant today as trying to find a floppy disk drive on your computer. Now go back to  _The Omen_ from 1976. It still stands up. I do have to say that  _The Exorcist_ is better film-wise. 

The world isn't so black and white today. Thanks to social media and our ever expanding knowledge that there is a life outside your own backyard, there are people of all beliefs. Some people have no desire to go to church. Some people cannot relate to religion one iota, but they can relate to the feelings of the characters. 

But with stories like the MacNeil's in  _The Exorcist_ and the Thorn's in  _The Omen_ , this "Omg! Satan Run!" mentality is as outdated as expecting that Hamburger Helper makes a great meal.

The question to ask regarding the first  _Omen_ film is why was Robert Thorn so hellbent (sorry) to kill his son? He had to be quite a believer in the Bible and its teachings or had a lot of built-in guilt from his childhood for not following what he was raised on. He had to have this built in belief system to kill the boy he called his son until the police intervened. 

You still saw a little boy on screen. "Daddy! No!" Heartstrings and all that. It should be of note that the funeral scene was added later because the audience had to see what happened when the policeman drew his gun. 

Which ironically led to 1978's  _Damien: Omen II,_ the little engine that could of the franchise. It was a film that started off smart like its original source material, but due to directors changing and holes in the storyline, it still had one end game for its audience. "Omg! Satan!" or I should say, "Son of Satan! Run!" 

In case you don't know, Damien accepts his destiny too early just after questioning why he was chosen to felt like a millisecond before. For the record Damien did leave his physical body, in the third installment, I still haven't seen all the way through,  _The Final Conflict_ (1981). But he was killed by only one dagger so that meant he wasn't fully dead. Just his physical body was, but not before a child was saved because "Omg! Satan!" after all. 

And let's not get into the TV film  _The Awakening_ (1991). Some good parts, like the third film sure, but not satisfying for the genre. Most of the fandom loves Delia, but the film itself, nah not so much. 

"Everybody run! The homecoming has a gun!" And Satan is dangerous, if you believe. Didn't Obi Wan Kenobi mention about how it all depends on your point of view?

But 2016's  _Damien_ was different. It was originally supposed to air on Lifetime (television for women  -ugh), but A&E picked up the show and wanted two more episodes. It seemed like success was a lock. But unfortunately the show was not a ratings hit or even a critical darling. So even with much fan support, you know how networks work, just kill it. Let's not give the show a chance. While that network currently airs a reality show about a bigoted and homophobic family.

Now, I myself am a spiritual person who does not believe in organized religion.  

Mazzara's  _Damien_ was pushing the envelope. You see a Damien, a first for this character, he attempted suicide. He struggled. He DID NOT want to be the Antichrist. Now some have said the Antichrist wouldn't fight it, they'd just be. But hey, we want to be entertained and have our minds expanded at the same time.  But in the end he accepted his destiny, and some might whine, that it was seemingly done for a woman. That didn't matter. 

Also it was nice to see a gay couple that appeared happy before Damien and Detective Shay's lives intertwined. There was also a serious storyline on the plight of veterans with PTSD and how it's not all about feel-good yellow ribbons. 

Those of us use fan fiction or art for our creative outlets can speculate whose hand was coming out of the grave? We may never know.  We will never know what was going to happen unless we somehow get a direct to DVD movie. Or if 20th Century Fox is so chuffed by our efforts they let Glen Mazzara make a cinematic film. Because I really want to see Bradley James play Damien again. 

Horror needs to be smart. Yeah, there's a time and a place for the Jason's and Freddy's wanting to kill horny teens at camp or in their sleep. But  _The Omen_ is a story worth telling properly. Whether you go there and show intimacy through adult family ala  _Game of Thrones_ or an Antichrist, that how dare he, not be a one note caricature like the studios want.

 _Damien_ was a step in the right direction, We'll never know if Barbara Hershey's Ann Rutledge was B'aalam. Bradley James brought emotion and depth and is the most definitive Damien Thorn to date. I talk to many nice fans who only knew him from  _Merlin_ and it was because of James being cast that they were getting their first taste of _The Omen._

I think the horror industry needs to realize that some of us want intelligent stories. We want stories that echo the fandom. (Okay, maybe not the super explicit, that's what fan fic is sometimes for).

Satanism is just as much a legitimate religion as Christianity or Islam.

The tired formula approach has reached its expiration date. Will  _Damien_ get another chance? Maybe, but it will probably have a different cast and crew, if and when it does. 

There is a new prequel coming out and I hope the storyline is thought provoking and shows both sides of the story. Yes, appease the gore junkies who just want to see blood and guts, but maybe, they shouldn't. But since it's a prequel to the first film, it's almost a moot point if they are taking the first film as canon. I keep hoping there will be a governors style reprieve, but the logical part of my brain knows that's not going to happen. 

I think the most realistic hope is that someone else continues this story in the Mazzara tradition. If he can't finish this, I hope someone else can. 

Don't be afraid to go there. Whatever is there for you. Don't worry about some suit and tie executive who thinks Damien Thorn is the same as Jason Voorhees. He's not. Tell  _The Omen_ story where Damien already accepts his destiny. That would be a good way to honor this gone too soon series that never got a chance to spread its wings because of some executives in an ivory tower who think they know what the audience wants. 

By all means create your own canon, as a fan fic writer for this small fandom, we need all of the official canon that we can get. 

Take the other side seriously. The left hand path is just as relevant as the right hand one. Don't treat Damien and his followers like they are pariahs, just because of who they follow.

Mazzara's  _Damien_ came so close that you could almost taste it. One horse race short of the Triple Crown. 

If  _The Omen_ franchise comes back please be smart, tell an intriguing story, and follow the example from the ten episodes of  _Damien._ It was intelligent, yes, I enjoyed some episodes more than others, but if the show is airing on basic cable, you can't exactly take all the risks that you can if this aired on HBO. The series was starting to  _go there._ But the masses weren't ready. Or the networks deemed the audience wasn't ready. Which is like being dictated to if you think about it and that is why a lot of people don't invest in fandoms. 

If the cinematic prequel does well maybe, we'll have a surprise waiting for us in terms of another series or movie. 

You can start by doing a reboot of  _Damien: Omen II,_ flesh out the characters more. Make Damien and Mark older. Have Mark join Damien, whether not you want to have them be a coupling is your call. And then we'll forgive the gruesome death of Joan Hart by the raven and being hit by a truck that you have to do to satisfy the crowds who only want the bloodshed but not the story. But for God's or Satan's sake (wink) follow Glen Mazzara's lead and put an intelligent story around it.

 

**After thought:**

Please remember there is an already built-in fan base.We would have subscribed to Hulu or netflix. We would have bought t-shirts and other merch. 

Thank you to all of my new _Omen_ and _Damien_ friends...I hope we will still talk about and watch the show in reruns (or the eventual DVD). 

Thanks to:

\- Glen Mazzara

\- Bradley James

\- Barbara Hershey

_ Megalyn E.K.

\- David Meunier  

\- Omid Abtahi

\- Scott Wilson

\- and all of the cast and crew: especially Robin Weigert and Melanie Scrofano

 

Thank you!! :)

 


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